Pera secures maiden WTA title in Budapest

Bernarda Pera secured her first WTA Tour title after defeating Aleksandra Krunic 6-3 6-3 at the Budapest Grand Prix.

Pera, who won two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw in the tournament, will likely re-enter the top 100 in the world rankings after her triumph.

The pair advanced to Sunday's showpiece in Hungary without dropping a set, teeing up a mouth-watering clash between the world number 105 Krunic and 130th-ranked Pera.

Pera, the lowest-ranked contender to play for the title in Budapest since world number 112 Yvonne Meusburger lost to Simona Halep in 2013, raced out the blocks to claim an early 3-0 lead, with the Serbian winning just one point.

Krunic then squandered four break-point opportunities in the fifth game before the American required five attempts to claim the first-set lead, with both missing a plethora of chances.

Moscow-born Krunic seemed to regain her composure, with the pair exchanging breaks to leave the match finely poised at 3-3 in the second set.

But Pera, appearing in her first tour-level final, broke again once more in the following set before holding out on her serve to seize the initiative.

The 27-year-old required just one opportunity to wrap up the match and her maiden title, while she achieved her third career win over Krunic in as many meetings.

From qualifying to winning the title @bernarda_pera claims the Hungarian Grand Prix title, defeating Krunic 6-3, 6-3!#WTABudapest pic.twitter.com/qzX8sbiT7q

— wta (@WTA) July 17, 2022